Brooklyn Life from Brooklyn, New York • Page 18

BROOKLYN LIFE. 18 provided a good illustration of both peculiarities. Thousands have been wonder stricken at their alleged thaumaturgy and mind reading and have accepted their demonstrations without question as evidence of supernormal powers. The sceptics themselves merely smiled and shrugged their shoulders. Now, however, that someone has come along with an alleged exposure, the chronic sceptic is having his innings.

He takes no more pains to analyse the exposure than those whom he would characterize as credulous dupes or fools took to analyse the performances of the Fays. It is enough that someone who worked for the "thaumaturgists" has called them fakes and given a very incredible account of how they perform their feats. Even newspapers with a reputation for intelligence have commented upon the subject as though the exposure were to be taken for granted. Personally I have rather more reason to believe the Fays impostors than otherwise. A friend of mine bought a card which entitled her to one of their books, together with the answers to a question, and received neither the book nor the answer in return for the card: but this does not alter the fact that the explanation offered by the defendant in the recent lawsuit as to how they worked their, tricks was preposterously inadequate.

There may be faking but it could scarcely take the crude form of pads and a telephone without being detected by persons in the audience. Moreover I personally know some persons who received surprising answers to questions which were not written on pads provided by the management. How the Fays perform their feats it would be very interesting to know but those who believe the explanation that has been offered are certainly quite as credulous in their way as those who believe that supernatural powers are the only possible explanation. SOMEBODY has been kind enough to send me a copy of the Daily Mining Record of Denver, consisting chiefly of advertisements showing how foolish it is to be poor when anybody who can rake together from five to ten dollars can purchase shares of mininr stock and things that will soon put him in a class with Morgan or Rockefeller. Every one, of course, has had such splendid opportunities presented to him and I understand the clergy are particularly favored in this respect.

Why it is then that the Morgan and Rockefeller class continues to remain so limited is a mystery that can only be explained on the hypothesis that the will is paralysed by the multiplicity and variety of sure things presented in such publications as the aforementioned Daily Mining Record, No sooner is one attracted by a sure one hundred per cent investment than his eye is diverted by the engaging frankness of another which does not promise more than ten, but might easily yield a thousand. No sooner has one began to consider the advantages of being one of the few judicious investors in Blue Nose than he is called upon to contemplate the possibilities getting into Pie Eye on the ground floor. However, so far as I am concerned the frank and cordial invitation of the International Mining Exchange of Los Angeles in the paper alluded to has set all doubts at rest It says: "If there is any stock in which any one of your friends are interested let us know and we will offer them a greater bargain than they could obtain anywhere else. We will gladly divide profits with you and keep all correspondence strictly confidential." Any of my friends who have stock in which they are interested will greatly oblige by forwarding the same to me. "Addison Steele.

The Looker On. NEBRASKA it appears has invented a new form of competition at golf which has something to recommend it not only as a novelty but as a careful method of elimination when time is an important consideration. This is the so called swatfest, elucidated by some of the Bryan homefolks who came on to New York to greet "the peerless upon his return from his globe-circling tour. The game as it has been described is in this manner: The players start in pairs from the first tee and the entire field waits at the first, green until the last pair has holed out. The playeror players having the highest score drop out.

Thus if eight is the high score for the hole every player recording an eight drops out. The others continue to the second hole where the same process of elimination is carried out and so on until the field has been reduced to two. It is true that this method of competition affords the majority of players a very limited "run for their money," but it is obviously a very expeditious if not equitable method of reducing a field to match play proportions. By this means a competition ending in one or two rounds of match play might be furnished in one play. THE death last week of Arthur Dudley Vinton revives recollections of a family distinguished in the social and clerical annals of Brooklyn.

Mr. Vinton was the third son of the late Francis Vinton, D.D., the first rector of Grace Church-on-the-Heights who subsequently resigned to become rector of Trinity, New York, though he continued to occupy the handsome residence he had built on Grace court. The Rev. Dr. Vinton was acknowledged to be one of tffe most scholarly and brilliant preachers of his time, and the existence of Grace Church was largely attributed to his executive ability.

Mrs. Vinton, his wife, was a daughter of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the hero of Lake Erie and author of the memorable dispatch "We have met the enemy and they are and a niece of Admiral Perry who introduced western civilization to Japan and who was the maternal grandfather of Oliver H. P. Belmont and Perry Belmont Personally Mrs. Vinton was a woman who combined social grace and charm with great force of character.

Of the Vinton children there are now but three Hying, two daughters and the youngest son Raymond, who is an architect by profession, though Mrs. Vinton was survived by six sons Francis I Fred, who was graduated from Annapolis and entered the navy; the Rev. Perry Vinton, Arthur Dudley, and Raymond. Dudley Vinton, as he was generally was a "Poly" boy and was afterwards graduated from the Columbia Law School. Subsequently he entered into a law partnership with his cousin, Mr.

Perry Belmont, under the title Vinton, Belmont and Frelinghuysen. Later he abandoned the law for a literary, career and at one time was managing editor of the North American Review. He wrote two clever, though rather sensational novels; "The Pomfret Mystery" and "The Unpardonable Sin;" also "Looking Further Backward," inspired by Bellamy's book. THE credulity of human nature is scarcely less remarkable than the incredulity, though perhaps this is a dis-. tinction without a difference, some persons being ready to believe anything on the slightest pretext and others to believe on no better ground.

The "Marvelous Fays" have A YACHT RACE IN THE VERY PICTURESQUE LAKE REGION OF ENGLAND..